When employees don't submit their time record by the deadline or fail to sign it, may we delay payment until the next regular payday?

No. The temptation is to discipline the employee by withholding pay; however, it is not a legally acceptable solution.

Labor Code Section 204 requires employers to pay all wages earned in the current pay period on the designated payday. The only exception to this requirement is unscheduled overtime wages, which may be deferred to the next regular payday.

Even though the employer delegates the timekeeping requirements to the employee, it remains the obligation of the employer to meet the requirements and pay all wages on the established payday. Failure by the employee to complete the time record does not alter the